Frank, a UPS Driver from rural Pennsylvania, ostensibly thrilled to hear from his estranged daughter Maggie after three long years. She is getting married to a billionaire’s son at a luxury resort in New Hampshire and she wants him to come. Along with his sister Tammy and her foster daughter, they make their way to the coast. Soon they realize that there is more to the family than meets the eye. Do the townsfolk blame them for things because they are the rich folks in town? Or is there something more sinister going on?

The secrets are revealed pretty slowly in this one, there is a big build up and the secrecy is better than the reveal. Frank tries to protect his only daughter at all costs, but is pretty blinded to her obvious character flaws. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but it was overall a good mystery that I didn’t want to put down. I listened to the full audiobook in one day without stopping!

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for the ARC. Book to be released October 7, 2024.

#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #thelastoneatthewedding

I really liked Hidden Pictures, so I was stoked to receive this arc. However, this is nothing like that book, which is okay because it's a different book.

However, I would label this more a domestic suspense and less thriller. I was intrigued at the beginning and really liked how the mmc is sharing a story with us. It all unfolds in a way that feels like you're having coffee with him, and you can't wait till he gets to the good part. Except when he gets there, it fizzles out and leaves you saying "huh" at the end. I was a bit confused, and I thought I missed something. So I didn't love the ending.

They talked about Tik Tok, like they are getting paid to sponsor it, which I didn't love. Also, the way the mmc talked down to this 10 year old foster child made me sad. Overall, it was an okay read. The title didn't really fit with the book, in my opinion, but if you're looking for something that's easy to follow with some turns, this is for you!

I was SO excited to recieve an ALC of this book! I absolutely loved Hidden Pictures, especially the surprise twist at the end, so I KNEW this would be good!

The last one at the wedding is told in the perspective of the Father of the Bride to be. It is narrated by John Pirhalla and he did a fantastic job of all the character voices and setting the mood to the scenes.

From the very beginning I knew this book would be tense. The dynamic between the dysfunctional families, the Father who has recently connecting with his estranged daughter, who is elated to recieve an invite to her wedding. It’s hard to pin point what we think about the father, we don’t know the circumstances to them being estranged for several years, and although he seems so happy and proud of his daughter, he also seems to give off manic vibes at times and it’s hard to say whether he is just so excited or a little too overbearing,

The daughter’s fiancé is aloof and mysterious. We don’t know if we should suspect him of being a bad guy or if he is just introverted and keeps quietly to himself.

When a letter shows up at the fathers door telling him to explicitly NOT TRUST the fiancé as his ex girlfriend went missing under suspicious circumstances, is he wrongly suspected of involvement or is there something more sinister at play?

There is a palpable build up to the plot, similar to when you know a storm is brewing and you can feel invisible electric tension to the air and know that something big is coming. I couldn’t wait to race to the end to see just exactly these people are behind their masks and facade.

This book was so much fun I highly recommend the read,

Thank you to Jason Rekulak and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Publish date October 8th 2024

Frank is surprised when his estranged daughter, Maggie, called him after three years of radio silence to invite him to her wedding. It’s out of the blue but he is excited to have a chance to rekindle their father-daughter relationship. When he arrives at the wedding feeling extremely out of place, he is determined to get to know the family that his daughter is marrying in to and finds that there is more than meets the eye.

There’s a bit of set-up to this story before we get to the meat of it but Rekulak’s writing was so enjoyable and his storytelling was so entertaining that I didn’t mind; I finished this audiobook in less than 24 hours. It feels very different from his previous publication, Hidden Pictures—no creepy children here; this definitely feels more mystery/ thriller than horror—but it’s a nail-biting story that I think readers are really going to like.

Frank's obvious hatred of his sister's foster child, Abigail, was very strange and didn’t seem to have a point; that whole plot line was so unnecessary to me and I really could have done without it. As for the other characters, I didn't find them to be very memorable or, frankly, all that interesting but I had a good time reading this story nonetheless.

I greatly enjoyed the narration by John Pirhalla who helped bring this book to life. This novel is told in first person and Pirhalla made our MC, Frank, feel very real and made the story all that more compelling. The audio is also produced really well which is always a plus. All in all, I really enjoyed the audio but I'm not certain that I would have enjoyed the physical book as much. Settling on 3.5 stars with room to wiggle.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/08/2024.

The last one at the wedding was a phenomenal book with great writing. I love thrillers revolving around a wedding. It hafme on the edge of my seat. I didnt want it to end. I started this last last night and made it about 50%. I gave this 5 stars mostly because the main character treated the child in the book. About 68 to 75% my mouth dropped about what the twist was.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

After loving HIDDEN PICTURES, I knew I would have to read THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING and am so happy I did!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Frank Szatowski is a simple man - he loves driving his UPS truck and getting his hair cut by the same woman at Supercuts, and he consistently writes his daugher, Maggie, letters with some pocket change, even though he never hears from her. She finally calls out of the blue to tell him the good news: she's getting married to the son of a famous tech billionaire, and the wedding will be at the family's private estate.

REVIEW: I was hooked from the start! Told from Frank's point of view, I loved getting the fatherly perspective as he tries to reconnect with his daughter amidst his shock that she's marrying into such a famous family. There were so many good plot points to keep driving the story forward and keep me intrigued the whole time. There's so much family drama and rich person drama I wasn't able to put it down! I loved the audio as narrated by John Pirhalla - he did a great job with the voices.

Frank has been estranged from his daughter for years, so he’s surprised when she calls out of the blue to invite him to her upcoming wedding. Maggie is marrying into a wealthy and influential family and is over the moon. Then Frank discovers that the last woman her fiancé dated disappeared. The family has kept the whole affair very quiet and insist the woman ran away, but Frank has serious doubts about the safety of his daughter. Frank’s sisters foster child steals the show

This is a fun book to read. I honestly had no idea where it was going for the first 3/4 of the book. This book really boils down to the story telling and narration. I keep thinking about it and even though all the characters in the book infuriated me, that's what has me hooked. It was really really well written. The end left me lost though.

The Last One at the Wedding is not really a thriller. It is a mystery, and at times is a little scary. A young woman disappears and there is definitely something fishy about the entire Gardner family, and then the night before the wedding of the century, one of the guests is found dead. The novel is also a powerful, and sad story of wealth, greed, and corruption and of a father who seems at times to be naïve and sheltered but who loves his daughter no matter what and who tries to do the right thing as he has done for all of his life.